JAY'S POV
I couldn't hear anything.
No voices.
No footsteps.
No screaming.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
A complete, endless darkness.
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know how long I'd been there.
I couldn't feel my body.
I couldn't open my eyes.
I couldn't even breathe.
And then...
A memory appeared.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
Like a flash.
ONE YEAR AGO...
I was standing outside a building I'd never seen before.
I looked down at the paper in my hand.
SECTION E — ROOM 306
I looked back at the building.
jay: Okay... this has to be it.
I went inside
Inside, a bunch of people were talking and laughing.
There was Kiefer.
Edrix.
Calix.
Rory
And the others.
They were all leaning against the wall,
having the time of their lives.
I awkwardly walked toward them.
jay: Excuse me...?
Nobody answered.
jay: Umm... is this room number 306?
Everyone looked at me.
And then I saw him.
Kiefer.
The lollipop guy.
He had a lollipop in his mouth.
He slowly took it out.
Looked at me.
And said—
keifer: Not here.
I blinked.
jay: Oh...
keifer: Not here.
His voice was SO rude.
keifer: Go back to the main building.
Everyone started laughing.
Not me.
I looked at the sign again.
jay: But... it says Section E, right?
Kiefer's expression immediately became more annoyed.
keifer: I said go back to the main building.
He practically yelled it.
I stared at him.
Then looked at everyone laughing.
jay: Okay...
I turned around.
And walked away.
The memory disappeared.
Another one came.
CHRISTMAS PARTY...
Music.
Lights.
Everyone screaming.
Everyone laughing.
Someone grabbed my hands.
Someone else grabbed my legs.
And suddenly—
I was being lifted into the air.
jay: PUT ME DOWN!
Everyone was laughing.
rory: NOPE!
Ci-n : SHE'S OUR CHRISTMAS DECORATION!
jay: I'M GONNA KILL ALL OF YOU!
Everyone laughed harder.
We danced.
We screamed.
We took ridiculous pictures.
We were completely stupid.
And happy.
Then I looked across the room.
Kiefer was sitting on the bench.
He wasn't laughing.
He was just watching me.
Smiling.
Like he was happy just seeing me happy.
I smiled back.
FLASH.
Another memory.
GYM CLASS...
I was standing in the middle of the court.
And then—
THUD.
The ball hit my face.
jay: OW!
Everyone froze.
I stumbled backward. Fall down.
Then Aries immediately ran toward me.
aries: Jay!
aries: Are you okay?
Aries: you'll be okay
Aries: I am with you.
FLASH.
Another memory
NEW YEAR'S NIGHT.
The lights.
The slow music.
Everyone celebrating...far, far away...
And Kiefer.
Standing in front of me.
His hands shaking.
His voice quieter than usual.
keifer: Jay...
I remembered looking at him.
He took a breath.
keifer: I love you.
Everything around me seemed to disappear.
I remember the shock on my face.
Then my own voice.
jay: I love you too.
He smiled.
That stupid smile.
The one I'd seen a thousand times.
The one that somehow always made everything feel okay.
And we Kissed..
And then—
The memory faded.
I was back in darkness.
But this time...
Something was different.
I could hear voices.
Far away.
Muffled.
Like they were coming from another world.
Jay....
Please....
Come back....
We need you....
I couldn't see them.
But I knew those voices.
Kiefer.
Angelo.
Ci N.
Aries.
Percy.
Yuri.
David.
Edrix.
Calix.
Felix.
Drew.
All of them.
All those people.
All those memories.
All the stupid jokes.
All the fights.
All the laughter.
All the times they had stood beside me.
All the people who had turned a place I'd never wanted to be...
Into my home.
I remembered Section E.
I remembered HVIS.
I remembered becoming someone completely different.
I remembered having people.
A family.
Friends.
A life.
And suddenly...
I wanted it back.
I wanted to wake up.
I wanted to yell at Rory.
I wanted to annoy Ci N.
I wanted to hear Kiefer call me annoying.
I wanted Angelo to lecture me.
I wanted Aries and Percy to argue with me.
I wanted Edrix to ask for help with something ridiculous.
I wanted Yuri to make those stupid jokes.
I wanted all of it.
I wasn't ready to leave.
And then—
My eyes opened.
HOSPITAL
A nurse was cleaning medical utensils.
She froze.
She stared at me.
Her eyes widened.
nurse: ...
I blinked.
The nurse gasped loudly.
nurse: Doctor?!
She practically ran out of the room.
nurse: DOCTOR!
Footsteps immediately thundered down the hallway.
AUTHORS POV:
Outside, everyone looked up.
Keifer stood first.
keifer: What happened?
The nurse ran past them.
Then doctors rushed back into the emergency room.
Everyone stared.
Angelo immediately stood.
angelo: What's happening?
Nobody answered.
Keifer's heart was pounding.
keifer: Why are they going back inside?
Aries stood beside him.
aries: I don't know.
Percy looked at the doors.
percy: Something changed?.
Ci N wiped his face.
ci n: What if—
He couldn't finish.
Then a doctor came rushing out.
Everyone immediately surrounded him.
Keifer was first.
keifer: DOCTOR?!
The doctor looked at all of them.
For a moment, he didn't say anything.
Then—
doctor: I don't know how to explain this.
Everyone stared.
doctor: But Jay is alive.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Keifer blinked.
keifer: ...What?
doctor: She's alive.
Aries' mouth fell open.
Percy froze.
Ci N started crying again.
But this time...
They were tears of relief.
keifer: You're serious?
doctor: Yes.
Keifer looked like he couldn't process the words.
keifer: She's... alive?
doctor: Yes.
Angelo covered his mouth.
A shaky breath escaped him.
angelo: thank god ....
Aries immediately started crying again.
aries: She's alive...
Percy laughed through his tears.
percy: She's actually alive...
Ci N hugged Felix.
ci n: SHE'S ALIVE!
felix: I KNOW!
Yuri wiped his face.
yuri: I knew she wasn't done annoying us.
David laughed while crying.
david: That's Jay .
Edrix was crying so hard he couldn't even speak.
The doctor looked confused by everyone's reactions.
doctor: Whatever happened in there... I honestly can't explain it. Her condition changed unexpectedly.
He shook his head.
doctor: I've worked in medicine for years. I can't give you a scientific explanation for what happened.
He looked toward the room
.
doctor: But she's alive.
Everyone just stood there.
Alive.
That one word felt like sunlight after a year of darkness.
Keifer immediately stepped forward.
keifer: Can I see her?
doctor: Only two people for now.
Keifer didn't even wait.
He practically ran toward the room.
Angelo followed.
The door opened.
JAY'S POV!
My eyes were barely open.
Everything looked blurry.
The room was white.
Bright.
Cold.
I didn't know what had happened.
I didn't even know if I was dreaming.
My body felt impossibly heavy.
My throat burned.
I tried to swallow.
Nothing.
I tried to move my fingers.
Barely anything happened.
Then—
Footsteps.
Fast footsteps.
The door opened.
And there he was.
Kiefer.
His face was red from crying.
His eyes were swollen.
He looked completely destroyed.
Like he'd just lost the most important thing in his entire life.
But the second he saw me awake—
He froze.
keifer: ..
He didn't move.
He just stared.
His lips parted slightly..
His eyes widened.
For a few seconds, neither of us moved.
I wanted to say his name.
I tried.
Nothing came out.
Not even a whisper.
My throat felt completely ruined.
Kiefer slowly walked toward my bed.
Like he was scared that if he moved too quickly...
I'd disappear again.
keifer: Jay...
I looked at him.
I wanted to answer.
I really did.
But my voice wasn't there.
So I just blinked.
His face crumpled.
He immediately covered his mouth.
A sob escaped him.
keifer: Oh my God...
He stepped closer.
keifer: You're awake.
I tried to smile.
It was tiny.
Barely even there.
But he saw it.
And somehow that tiny smile completely broke him.
He sat beside my bed.
keifer: You...are an idiot.
He wiped his face.
keifer: You scared the hell out of everyone.
I wanted to say sorry.
My lips moved.
Nothing.
Kiefer immediately noticed.
keifer: Don't.
I looked at him.
keifer: Don't try to talk.
His voice was shaking.
keifer: Your throat needs time.
I blinked slowly.
He looked down at my hand.
Then back at my face.
keifer: Just...
His voice cracked.
keifer: Just stay.
My eyes started burning.
I looked toward the doorway.
Angelo was standing there.
Crying silently.
The man who always stayed strong.
The man who always handled everything.
Was standing there with tears running down his face.
And behind him—
Through the small glass window—
I could see everyone.
Ci N.
Aries.
Percy.
Yuri.
David.
Edrix.
Felix.
Kit.
Mayo.
Section e.
They were staring at me.
Some were crying.
Some were smiling.
Some looked like they still couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Ci N had both hands over his mouth.
Aries was crying openly.
Percy kept wiping his eyes.
Yuri was staring at me like he was afraid that if he blinked, I'd disappear.
David was smiling through tears.
Edrix was completely overwhelmed.
Felix had one arm around Ci N.
Kit and Mayo were standing together, both crying.
And Angelo...
He just stood there.
Looking at me.
Like he had been given something back that he thought he'd lost forever.
And suddenly...
I understood.
They had thought I was gone.
They had mourned me.
They had cried for me.
They had already said goodbye.
And somehow...
I was looking at them again.
I hadn't come back because I was supposed to.
I didn't know why.
I didn't know how.
Maybe there was an explanation.
Maybe there wasn't.
But I knew one thing.
I had remembered my life.
I had remembered them.
The people who had once been strangers.
The people who became my friends.
My family.
My home.
The people who made me laugh when I wanted to cry.
The people who annoyed me.
The people who fought with me.
The people who protected me.
The people who loved me.
And somewhere inside all that darkness...
I had chosen them again.
My eyes filled with tears.
I looked at everyone.
My lips moved.
Still no sound
Ci N suddenly stepped forward.
ci n: She can't talk.
The doctor nodded.
doctor: Her throat is extremely strained.
Give her some time.
Ci N nodded quickly
Then he looked at me.
His eyes filled again.
ci n: It's okay.
He smiled through his tears.
ci n: You don't have to say anything.
That somehow hurt more.
Because I wanted to.
I wanted to tell them I was sorry.
I wanted to tell them I heard them.
I wanted to tell them I remembered everything.
I wanted to tell them I loved them.
But my voice wouldn't come.
So instead...
I slowly lifted my hand.
Just a little.
Everyone froze.
Kiefer immediately noticed.
He carefully moved closer and let me place my hand against his.
His fingers trembled.
He stared at our hands.
Then at me.
His eyes filled again.
keifer: You're really here.
I blinked.
A tear slipped down my cheek.
He laughed quietly through his tears.
keifer: You're actually here.
Angelo finally walked inside.
He stopped beside the bed.
For a moment, he couldn't say anything.
Then—
angelo: Welcome back, kid.
My eyes filled again.
I looked at him.
He wiped his face quickly.
angelo: Don't look at me like that.
He gave a broken little laugh.
angelo: I wasn't crying.
Ci N immediately spoke from behind him.
ci n: KUYA ANGELO, YOU WERE
LITERALLY CRYING FOR HOURS.
Angelo looked back.
angelo: Nobody asked you.
Ci N laughed.
And then started crying again.
Everyone laughed softly.
Through tears.
Through exhaustion.
Through the fear that hadn't completely left them yet.
But they were laughing.
Because I was alive.
And then Kiefer looked at me again.
keifer: You know...
He swallowed.
keifer: You really scared the hell out of us.
I couldn't answer.
So I gave him the smallest smile.
He smiled back.
His eyes were still full of tears.
keifer: You better not do that again.
I raised one eyebrow.
He laughed.
keifer: Yeah, yeah.
He shook his head.
keifer: I know.
And I realized something.
I didn't need words right now.
They already knew.
They knew I was happy to see them.
They knew I remembered.
They knew I was fighting.
They knew I was home.
For the first time since the hospital doors had closed...
The hallway wasn't filled with mourning anymore.
It was filled with laughter
Tears.
Relief
And prayers of gratitude.
The people who had been crying because they thought they had lost me...
Were now crying because they had found me again.
And there was one impossible truth sitting in that hospital room.
I was alive.
The girl everyone had already mourned...
The girl everyone had already said goodbye to...
Had opened her eyes again.
And maybe nobody would ever understand why.
Maybe nobody ever could.
But I did.
Because when everything went dark...
I remembered them.
And somehow...
their love became the light that led me home....
____________________
HEY READER'S 🤗 🤗 🤗
HAPPY NOW? 🤧
JAY IS ALIVE!!!!!!! ✨
YOU GUYS BULLIED ME SO MUCH THAT I NEED TO DO A MIRACLE AND MAKE JAY ALIVE AGAIN 😭😭
I GOT IMOTIONAL WHILE WRITING THIS! 🥺
NEXT CHAPTER TOMORROW!
LOVE YOU GUYS! 💋💋
BYEE💋💋💋💋💋